Iraq’s Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said Iraqi Security Forces are on high alert in case there is an international military strike on Syria. Israel has followed suit and is preparing their defenses near the Syrian-Israeli border, reported Reuters.
Israel bolstered its defense systems on Wednesday, the Army said, ahead of a possible U.S. attack on Syria that could spill across the Jewish state's northern border, according to AFP.
“In light of the recent occurrences in the region, the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) is taking the necessary defensive measures to safeguard the state of Israel. These measures include both active and passive defense mechanisms”, military sources said.
Army radio reported the military was moving Iron Dome missile defense systems in the north, as well as one Patriot missile defense battery to the western Galilee.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday convened his eight-member security cabinet for consultations on the Syria situation, following which he said there was no room for alarm, while reiterating the military's preparedness for any development.
“Following an evaluation of the security situation that took place today, there is no reason to change life's routines,” he said in a statement.
“At the same time, we are preparing for any scenario. The army is ready to provide defense from any threat, and set to react with force to any attempt to harm Israeli civilians,” he added.
On Tuesday, Netanyahu had vowed a fierce reaction to “any attempt to hurt us” from Syria or its allies, in a possible reaction to a US attack.
Earlier on Wednesday, Army Spokesman Brigadier General Yoav Mordechai also tried to play down tensions, stressing there was no room for alarm at this stage.
The military was constantly “examining, monitoring and following the developments” in and regarding Syria, he wrote on Facebook, but there was “no reason to change our daily routines.”
Nevertheless, Israelis continued to rush to replace old gas masks, in case of possible Syrian retaliation. An AFP correspondent reported long queues at a Tel Aviv post office serving as a distribution centre for the masks.
And in the Knesset, a Parliamentary Committee on home front preparedness was holding a special emergency session. Ahead of the meeting, Committee Head Eli Yishai, of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, blamed the government for closing gas-mask factories and not allocating sufficient funds for purchasing masks.
According to Yishai, 40% of Israel's citizens have yet to collect new gas masks.
Source: Reuters and AFP
